Early Childhood Literacy

Early childhood literacy is a critical part of a child's development that can have important impacts as they start school and beyond. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with Cortez Public Library Director Eric Ikenouye and Children's Librarian Laura McHenry about how the library is working with local organizations and parents to make sure young children are exposed to books, reading, and vocabulary that will give them a solid foundation for learning as they grow.

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In an increasingly digital world, libraries are working to become more than just a place to check out books. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with Cortez Public Library Director Eric Ikenouye about how libraries are playing an important role in our communities, why they are essential in bridging the digital divide, and how they work to improve early childhood literacy.

The federal government spends almost $8 billion on preschool programs across the country, mostly on low income 4-year-olds. States spend billions more. But with at least 30 states planning to expand access to pre-K and President Obama promoting "preschool for all," what constitutes a quality preschool program?

State-mandated testing in schools has become a burden on smaller schools as more and more time and resources are being required for test-taking. KSJD's Tom Yoder talks with Adam Priestly, Secondary Principal at the Mancos School District, and Mancos high school students Faith Asnicar, Bowen Strazza-Whalen, and Taryn Gordanier, about how excessive testing is impacting their school, and their Terminate Trivial Testing social media campaign.